There's a mental disorder that 1 in 7 pregnant women may have, and now a panel of experts wants everyone to get tested for it

Gwyneth Paltrow is one of
many women who report having postpartem
depression.Mario Anzuoni /
Reuters

A government-appointed health panel is calling for all pregnant
women to be evaluated for a type of depression that affects a
surprising amount of new and soon-to-be mothers.

The recommendations,
published by the US Preventative Services Task Force on Tuesday
in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on
new research indicating that mental illness during pregnancy
may be more common than has previously been suggested.

A type of depression that affects new mothers, known as
postpartum depression, is known to cause feelings of
extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion.

As many as one in seven mothers may experience this disorder,
the New York Times reports. And moms aren't the only
ones affected — studies suggest moms with depression
pay less attention to their own health before and during
pregnancy, which not only can cause problems for themselves but
for their children as well.

In addition to depression, pregnant or
postpartem women can also experience problems like anxiety,
bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"It's very significant that the task force is now putting forth a
recommendation that’s specific to pregnant and postpartum women,"
Katy Kozhimannil, an associate professor of public health at the
University of Minnesota, told the Times, calling depression
screening and diagnosis "an enormous public health need."

Benefits of screening

The USPSTF, an independent panel of experts appointed
by the Department of Health and Human Services, weighed the
benefits and harms of depression screenings and treatments in
adults — including pregnant or postpartum (post-birth) women — as
well as the accuracy of these screenings.

The panel found evidence that combining depression screening with
support services reduced the symptoms of depression in adults
including pregnant women or new mothers.

Antidepressants, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two were
also effective in reducing the incidence of depression.

In addition, a type of therapy called
cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves identifying
negative thought patterns to
help sufferers respond to them more clearly, was found
to be an effective treatment for postpartum depression in
particular.

Overcoming a stigma

In addition, the panel found very few drawbacks of
the screenings in postpartum women and adults. That's
significant since one of the initial concerns about
recommending the screenings was that it could increase
the stigma that currently surrounds mental illness
by drawing attention to it.

Doctors were worried that if a pregnant woman was
diagnosed with depression and anxiety, it would make her
feel more scared or stigmatized, Wendy Davis, the executive
director of Postpartum Support International, told The
Times.

But in fact, studies suggest the screening may
do the opposite. "Screening tools actually
can give a language for both the providers and the patients to
feel comfortable talking about it and prevent the stigma," Davis
said.

The risks of depression drugs

Once someone is diagnosed with depression, treatment
options can include medication, therapy, or some combination
of the two.

However, these risks are relatively small, the panel
reports. It did find evidence that depression drugs could cause
serious harm to an unborn baby, but this risk was also low.

Based on these findings, the panel concluded that there was a
"moderate net benefit" to screening for depression in pregnant
and postpartum women whose healthcare providers offer cognitive
behavioral therapy or other counseling services.

The panel gave its recommendations a "B" rating, which requires
the screening to be covered under the Affordable Care Act,
according to The New York Times.

The recommendations are an updated version of
depression guidelines released in 2009, which called for
people be screened if health providers had the staff to provide
support and treatment. The new guidelines extend those
recommendations to pregnant and postpartem women.